Kids Cuisine

Though macaroni and cheese is not exactly health food (there is a lot of fat in cheese, and fat-free cheese borders on inedible), it can be a great choice for a cold winter night. In my house, we usually mix things up a bit by breaking away from the cheddar to toss in some aged gouda, brie, or even blue cheese. Better Homes and Gardens has gone a little farther than that — the magazine’s website has an intriguing slide show of mac ‘n’ cheese variations. Do any of these sound appealing to you?

• Italian Mac ‘n’ Cheese with mushrooms, peppers, and parmesan
• Harvest Mac ‘n’ Cheese with apples, walnuts, and sage
• Denver Mac ‘n’ Cheese with eggs, peppers, and onions
• Greek Mac ‘n’ Cheese with chicken, olives, and sweet peppers

There are 10 variations in all, ranging from tasty looking to just plain weird, and they are definitely worth checking out. Unfortunately, BHG gives one standard mac ‘n’ cheese recipe and then leaves you on your own for the variations, so you’ll have to use a little trial and error on the exact amounts.

(Photo used under Creative Commons license from flickr user tspauld)